2023 Season Highlights
The 2023 season saw Gabriel bring home some awesome results for his sponsors and fans, including three Championship podiums, several special event podiums and the prestigious Ron Duffield “Spirit” Award.
Gabriel's standout achievements in 2023 include:
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Championship WINNER for Toowoomba Kart Club
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WINNER of Young Guns
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WINNER of the Winter Carnival TLVKC
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2nd Place overall in the Ipswich Kart Club Championship
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2nd Place overall in the Warwick Kart Club Championship
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2nd Place Top Guns
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Recipient of the Ron Duffield “Spirit” Award
Rain, you are my sunshine!
February 2023
Gabriel's first race for the 2023 season was Round 1 of the Ipswich Kart Club Championship, held on Saturday, 4 February. It was a massive turnout, with a field of 40 Cadet 12 drivers, putting the grid at capacity. We had a number of issues over the weekend, but luckily it rained and levelled the playing field.
Right from the start, it was a rather turbulent meet for Gabriel due to a number of equipment failures. Unfortunately, Gabriel’s brakes exploded during practice on Friday night, right at the end of the back straight at about 90km/h, destroying the brake system. Although he was quick to respond and control the kart to avoid major damage or injury, it meant that we were unable to do adequate testing and tuning to exorcise the gremlins before qualifying on Saturday morning.
Qualifying: Flying Blind
Flying blind for Qualifying, Gabriel was only able to push it into 17th position before the session was red flagged. However, with the support of Steve and Vikki from Aussie Auto Spare Parts, we were able to get Gabriel’s kart back on track for the first Heat.
Heat 1: Singing in the Rain
The rain poured down as the Cadet 12’s were on the grid ready to go out for Heat 1. There was quite some chaos as everyone rushed to change to wets, and then out of the gate they went!
Gabriel put his skills to test in the rain, forging a path through the field as he hunted down the lead. With the second fastest lap times in the wet, he started in 17th and finished in 4th.
Lucky for everyone, BTZD Teamwear. were at the track with plenty of fresh, dry gloves for those of us who got saturated in the rain.
Heat 2: Big Effort
Heat 2 yielded similarly impressive results, with a third fastest lap time for the race. Again starting out of 17th, Gabriel managed overtake his way up into 9th by the end of the 10 lap race in mostly dry conditions.
Heat 3: Awesome Start
Gabriel’s Heat 3 race started well with some brilliant manoeuvres in the first few laps, placing him in the top five. Unfortunately, the gremlins reappeared and Gabriel struggled to keep on pace, finishing in 7th position under a red flag.
Final: Return of the Gremlins
Again, Gabriel started well in the Final, but the kart gremlins once again hindered his progression. Finishing the Final in 7th across the line was not what he’d hoped for, but ultimately it was a great result considering everything that the weekend threw at him.
Many thanks to Cian of Energy Corse Australia for helping to get the brakes fixed on Friday night. Thank you to KAOS Karting for awesome trackside parts. Many thanks to Revolution Racegear Brisbane for putting us onto the super comfortable Alpinestars rib protector. Gabriel loves it!
Thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters who encourage and assist Gabriel in his journey.
A Clean Sweep!
February 2023
Gabriel put in a solid performance in Round 1 of the Warwick Kart Club Championship over the weekend, winning all events.
Qualifying: 1st
Heat 1: 1st
Heat 2: 1st
Heat 3: 1st
Final: 1st
Many thanks to Stephen and Vikki of Aussie Auto Spare Parts for exceptional mechanical, setup and driver support which have allowed Gabriel’s skills to shine through.
Thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters, including BTZD Teamwear for the awesome looking team wear and race suit.
3 out of 4 ‘ain’t bad!
February 2023
Gabriel competed in Round 1 of the Toowoomba Kart Club Championship over the weekend, busting out another strong performance to win the day.
Following Format 17, gridding was random, reverse, points, then accumulated points for the final, all points, counting for the win.
Heat 1: 1st
Gabriel started in 2nd and finished 1st.
Heat 2: 1st
Starting out of 17th, Gabriel overtook swiftly to get into 4th in the first lap, then hunted down the front runners to finish 1st.
Heat 3: 1st
Starting on poll, Gabriel won the heat.
Final: 2nd
Gabriel started out of 1st and although he didn’t win the final, his solid effort in earlier races earned him the top step at the end of the day.
Three in a Row!
March 2023
Gabriel’s win at IPSWICH KART CLUB’s Championship Round 2 on Saturday made it 3 in a row for the 10-year-old Cadet 12 driver.
In mid-February, Gabriel won 4 from 4 at Warwick, took the top step at Toowoomba and has followed it up with another win at Ipswich.
Qualifying: 1st
Gabriel drove exceedingly well in Quali to pole it by almost 2 tenths.
Heat 1: 1st
Leading the first race in its entirety, Gabriel delivered a decisive win by almost 3 seconds.
Heat 2: 2nd
Gabriel had some awesome battles for 1st throughout the second heat, but an unfortunate incident on the last lap knocked him back to finish in 8th.
Final: 1st
Starting out of 4th was no deterrence for Gabriel as he drove the socks off his Aussie Race Engines Mini Rok to take the win by over 2.3 seconds.
Many thanks to the officials and volunteers who make racing possible. Thank you KAOS Karting for trackside sales and supplies.
A massive thank you to Aussie Auto Spare Parts (Aussie Race Engines) for the superb mechanical, set-up and driver support. Mountains of respect and appreciation from all of us.
Thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters, including:
Not Our Day...
March 2023
Gabriel raced at Lismore Kart Club on the weekend. Unfortunately, he suffered a DNF in the first heat and a DNS in the second, which took him well out of the points for a podium. Despite the troubles, Gabriel pushed hard and managed to get some decent times in the final.
Race Summary:
Qualifying: 4th
Heat 1: DNF - A lapped kart spun in front of Gabriel and there was nowhere to go but over and into the gravel trap!
Heat 2: DNS - The boys put the kart back together, but unfortunately, could not get it started in time for the second heat.
Heat 3: Started 11th (last), finished 7th. There were still a few bugs in the kart, but Gabriel drove as best he could to work his way up.
Final: Started 7th, finished 5th. By the final, we managed to iron out most of the issues and Gabriel was able to punch out some good lap times.
New Look Livery
March 2023
Gabriel's new livery by Versatile Design - Racing Image looked amazing on the weekend at Toowoomba Kart Club's Championship Round 2... and it was fast too!
Powered by Aussie Race Engines, Gabriel drove his way into the top 3 in every race.
Heat 1: Started 11th, Finished 3rd.
Heat 2: Started 2nd, Finished 1st.
Heat 3: Started 6th, Finished 3rd.
Final: Started 4th, Finished 2nd.
Overall: 4th on points (due to a starting penalty for accelerating with the pole sitter in Heat 2).
Although Gabriel didn't officially get on the podium this weekend, his consistency was excellent and he made some skillful moves throughout the day. Ultimately, it was a very successful meet.
Many thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters including:
Revolution Racegear Brisbane / Ultratune Beenleigh / MotiV8 Training /
KAOS Karting / Versatile Design - Racing Image / Aussie Race Engines
Round One - Warwick Kart Club Championship
The kart was on fire this weekend as Gabriel pumped out an awesome performance in Round 1 of the Warwick Kart Club Championship over the weekend, winning all events.
Qualifying: 1st
Heat 1: 1st
Heat 2: 1st
Heat 3: 1st
Final: 1st
A solid performance.
April Madness
April 2023
It was a tough weekend for the team and many other competitors in the huge field of 38 Cadet 12s competing at IKC this weekend.
Gabriel started mid pack for both heats one and two due to gridding by random selection. Over the course of the day, there were a number of collisions. Thankfully, no one was injured, but many of us suffered kart damage which made it difficult to find pace.
Unfortunately Gabriel’s kart just wasn’t handling as well as it should’ve. There was an issue holding it back which we weren’t able to put our finger on amongst the chaos of red flags and bingles. But we’re sure the problem will be located and resolved soon.
Gabriel still had a great time managing to pull some overtakes in the final, working his way back up to collect some decent points. He also scored some new boots from @btzd_teamwear and got to check out some awesome open wheelers on display at the track courtesy of Gilmour Racing.
2nd Place
April 2023
It was a great day for another club Championship round at Toowoomba Kart Club on Sunday where Gabriel finished 2nd overall.
Heat 1: Started 2nd, (random grid) finished 3rd
Heat 2: Started 13th (reverse grid), start of the race well, gaining several positions in the first few laps, but a kart spun in front of him which dropped Gabriel almost to the back of the pack. He raced the socks off his kart to finish in 8th with some ripper times, gaining on the front runners.
Heat 3: Starting out of 5th, Gabriel finished 2nd.
Final: Starting out of 3rd, finishing 2nd.
On pace
May 2023
Gabriel had great pace and drove the socks off his kart this weekend. Although a number of incidents prevented him from getting on the podium at the end of the day, it allowed him to demonstrate his skill under pressure.
Heat 1: Started 9th (random grid). Unfortunately, Gabriel was taken out on the first corner with a reckless move by another driver, pushing him down into 25th position and causing several others to DNF. To his credit, Gabriel then reset and regained 10 positions to finish in 15th.
Heat 2: Started 30th (reverse grid). Gabriel focused hard and was an overtaking machine, finishing in 12th.
Heat 3: Starting out of 13th, Gabriel finished 9th with some excellent times.
Final: Starting out of 10th, Gabriel was intent on climbing his way up towards the front; however, the front row prematurely accelerated hard onto the main straight and the race was allowed to start with most of the pack left behind, not yet even on the straight. Despite this, Gabriel worked his way into 7th position in the opening lap. Yet again, Gabriel was punted to the side several times, resulting in him being caught up and overtaken by multiple karts. The driver responsible tried a similarly dangerous manoeuvre on another competitor and was rewarded with instant karma. Although this incident also lost Gabriel a couple more positions, he finished the final in 11th, which is an excellent result, considering the challenges.
AKC Shakedown Highlights
June 2023
This weekend saw the country’s keenest kart drivers descend upon Ipswich Kart Club for the AKC Shakedown, with almost 50 Cadet 12 competitors.
Gabriel’s weekend started well, attaining the second fastest lap times in his timed practice group (his was the first session of the day at 8am and it was bitterly cold!). Although he didn’t qualify as well as he’d hoped, Gabriel worked hard over the weekend to make up positions through racing. He had some top lap times in each of his heats and raced well alongside the best in the country.
Heat 1: Starting out of 10th, Gabriel finished 5th in his first race.
Heat 2: Starting out of 9th, Gabriel finished 7th.
Heat 3: Gabriel delivered stellar drive in his third race, starting out of 3rd and maintaining position for almost the entire race, ultimately finishing in 5th.
Heat 4: Great driving in the previous races rewarded Gabriel with starting out of 4th for the pre-final. He drove very well, but some issues with the rear axle hindered pace. However, he still managed to finish in 8th. Unfortunately, a starting infringement knocked his overall finish position down to 24th, which pushed him way down the grid for the Final.
Final: Starting out of 15th, Gabriel had his work cut out for him. To add to the challenge, a multi-kart collision on turn one lost Gabriel several places. Pushing hard to regain position, he drove the socks off the kart and managed to move up from 22nd to finish the Final in 15th.
Overall, it was an awesome weekend with plenty of challenges and gains.
King of Consistency
June 2023
Gabriel raced at Lismore Kart Club for the first time in a long time against some tough local talent. He was consistent and determined all weekend, walking away with a podium finish!
Results at a glance...
Qualifying: 2nd
Heat 1: 2nd
Heat 2: 2nd
Heat 3: 1st
Final: 2nd
Nationals Top 10
July 2023
Round 4 of the Australian Kart Championship was hosted by IPSWICH KART CLUB last weekend where Gabriel completed in a massive field of 62 Cadet 12 drivers.
Team 13 (AKA Mum and Dad) worked tirelessly on the kart over the three day event to get it running as best as possible. Although they couldn’t always find the pace Gabriel needed to get to the very front, he drove it well and pushed forward with determination, despite a few setbacks in the heat races.
Starting out of 17th for the Final, Gabriel drove his way through the pack to finish 10th in a highly competitive field of drivers. Well done. What an awesome result!
Thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters, especially those who came to the track to watch the racing and offer their encouragement.
Many thanks to BTZD Teamwear. and Versatile Design - Racing Image for the awesome looking gear and kart kit.
Young Guns WINNER!
July 2023
This July weekend saw Gabriel compete at Lismore Kart Club for the Wynnum Haulage Young Guns titles in a very competitive field of top drivers.
Q - 2nd
H1 - 1st
H2 - 1st
H3 - 2nd
H4 - 1st
FINAL - 1st
Gabriel’s Energy Corse Australia chassis was hooked up all weekend and handled beautifully around the circuit, standing out with a Versatile Design - Racing Image kit.
Many thanks to BTZD Teamwear. for the awesome shirts, race suit, gloves and custom boots.
Thank you also to Jenny and Larry of KAOS Karting for always being at the track for sales and support .
Double Direction Challenge
July 2023
It was another big weekend at the track with a double direction race at Toowoomba Kart Club against some sharp competition.
On Saturday, Gabriel competed in two heats in normal direction, then for Sunday it was switched to reverse for the remaining two races, which saw Gabs come home with 1st place!
Heat 1: Started out of 1st, finished 1st.
Clockwise Direction / Random grid - 8 laps
Gabriel achieved the fastest lap time.
Heat 2: Started out of 10th, finished 2nd.
Clockwise Direction / Reverse grid - 8 laps
Gabriel achieved the fastest lap time.
Heat 3: Started out of 1st, finished 2nd
Anti-clockwise Direction / Grid on points - 12 laps
Final: Started out of 1st, finished 1st
Anti-clockwise Direction / Grid on points - 12 laps
Gabriel achieved the fastest lap time again!
Many thanks to BTZD Teamwear. and Versatile Design - Racing Image for the awesome team wear and kart kit. Always looking good!
Thank you also to the club, officials and competitors for a fun weekend of close racing.
On the Silver Step
August 2023
Gabriel was on the podium again this weekend for Ipswich Kart Club’s Championship Round 6.
Running a different track arrangement and shorter racing format saw qualifying for all class then two heats and a final.
Gabriel’s results were as follows:
Qualifying: 3rd
Heat 1: Started 3rd, finished 3rd.
Heat 2: Started 3rd, finished 4th.
Final: Started 3rd, finished 2nd.
Gabriel’ BTZD Teamwear./ Versatile Design - Racing Image/ Energy Corse Australia kart certainty looked the part, handled nicely around the track and we were able to hone it in over the few short races to take 2nd place and attain the fastest lap time in the final.
![IMG_E7056[1].JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/19a091_84c2f8650f984f9b95779a34f8385be3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_315,h_345,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/IMG_E7056%5B1%5D_JPG.jpg)
Double Podium Weekend
August 2023
This weekend Warwick Kart Club held a double-header meet, with both normal and reverse direction racing (random, reverse gridding). Gabriel drove well across the two days, bringing home 2nd place for both events.
Day 1: Reverse Direction
Heat 1: started 4th, finished 4th
Heat 2: started 4th, finished 2nd
Heat 3: started 2nd, finished 1st
Final: started 2nd, finished 2nd
Day 2: Normal Direction
Heat 1: started 2nd, finished 2nd
Heat 2: started 8th, finished 2nd
Heat 3: started 2nd, finished 2nd
Final: started 2nd, finished 2nd
Winter Carnival WINNER
August 2023
This weekend was the final round of the Winter Carnival at Toowoomba Kart Club.
Racing was in reverse direction and by random, then reverse gridding.
With the fastest lap times in every heat, Gabriel won the day, securing the Winter Carnival Winner title.
Results summary:
Heat 1: started 2nd, finished 1st
Heat 2: started 13th, finished 2nd
Heat 3: started 1st finished 1st
Final: started 1st, finished 1st
Gabriel is very pleased to bring home another win for TNR / BTZD Teamwear./ Versatile Design - Racing Image. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Close, but no cigar.
September 2023
This weekend saw Gabriel compete in Round 7 of the IPSWICH KART CLUB Championship.
Results summary:
Heat 1: started 9th, finished 2nd
Heat 2: started 21st, finished 5th
Heat 3: started 1st, DNF
Final: started 10th, finished 5th
Gabriel delivered a stellar performance under random-reverse gridding, driving through the pack to consistently finish in the top five.
Earning pole position for the Pre-final, it looked as though Gabs was on track for the podium; however, an incident at the start of Heat 3 resulting in a DNF hampered his efforts.
Despite being a shuffled down to start out of 10th for the Final, Gabriel was determined to move forward, finishing in a very respectable 5th position in an extremely competitive field.
Gabriel is very pleased to deliver some more great results for our sponsors, supporters and @followers. Thank you to all for your ongoing support: TNRacing Engines. / BTZD Teamwear. / Versatile Design - Racing Image / Energy Corse Australia / MotiV8 Training / Ultratune Beenleigh / Revolution Racegear Brisbane
Another Top Guns Podium
September 2023
Gabriel was once again very competitive in the Junior Top Guns event at Warwick Kart Club on the weekend.
Holding the fastest lap time until the final lap of qualifying - a mere one thousandth of a second between the top two - Gabriel qualified in 2nd. He drove extremely well in each race, taking the win for 3 of the 4 heat races.
Gabriel delivered a mature drive in the final and took the lead on the last lap. Unfortunately, a small error on the final corner resulted in the loss of the lead, finishing on the tail of the leader, with only a tenth of a second between them across the line. Although he came in 2nd, Gabriel was happy to attain the fastest lap time in the Final.
Despite being a little disappointed at not taking home the biggest trophy on the podium, Gabriel was pleased to see his good mate on the top step. They both raced hard but fair, as it should be. Well done, boys!
Results summary:
Qualifying: 2nd (0.001 off pole)
Heat 1: 2nd
Heat 2: 1st
Heat 3: 1st
Pre-final: 1st
Final: 2nd
Overtaking Challenge Accepted
September 2023
Gabriel competed at the Toowoomba & Lockyer Valley Kart Club Championship Round 7 on the weekend, taking the win.
Results at a glance…
Heat 1: 1st
Heat 2: 5th
Pre-final: 1st
Final: 1st
Gridding by random then reverse order saw Gabriel start on pole for Heat 1 and maintain the lead.
Starting out of 10th for Heat 2, Gabriel was sandwiched on the first corner, grinding to a halt, shuffling him all the way down to 13th. Starting well behind the front runners, the overtaking challenge was set. Gabriel pushed forward through the pack, finishing in 5th.
Gabriel showed great pace and consistency in Heat 3 and the Final, resulting in 1st place for both.
NSW State Titles - A Ripper Start in the Final
September 2023
Gabriel participated in the New South Wales State Title event at Lismore Kart Club this weekend. Even though Gabriel’s qualifying result was reasonable, unfortunately, the pit crew (Mum and Dad) were not able to find the right tune to get the kart on pace. Gabriel pushed the kart as hard as possible, but it just wasn’t competitive enough for the podium this time.
Even with ongoing tuning issues, determination and consistency yielded a 2nd place finish for Gabriel in the Pre-Final.
Making a ripper start in the Final, Gabriel worked his way up from 10th into 6th position in the first few laps. All looked promising as he was overtaking towards the front runners, until the kart suddenly maxed out in lap 4 and Gabriel lost all of his hard-fought positions.
Despite our best efforts, we just weren’t able to get the kart performing at its best, but there’s always another race meet.
Results at a glance…
Qualifying: 7th (0.165 sec off pole)
Heat 1: 10th
Heat 2: 6th
Pre-Final: 2nd
Final: 10th
Excellent Pace in State Cup
October 2023
Gabriel completed in the Queensland State Cup at Ipswich over the weekend, exhibiting some excellent driving.
Despite starting out of 7th for most of his Heat races, Gabriel finished 4th, 1st and 2nd with some of the fastest laps of the day.
He was on track for a front row start for the Final, but a DNF in Heat 4 pushed him all the way back down to start out of 10th.
Going into the Final Gabriel was determined to make up positions, which he did. Unfortunately, a full course yellow stole a few precious laps and although he was on pace, there just wasn’t enough time to catch the leaders before flag fall and Gabriel finished in 6th.
Overall, the weekend was a great success for us as Gabriel showed excellent pace, great sportsmanship and maturity under pressure.
Round 8 Winner!
October 2023
This October weekend saw Gabriel holding the 1st Place trophy for Championship round 8 at Toowoomba Kart Club.
Gridding was random then reverse order, but Gabriel worked his way up to start on pole for the Final, winning by 0.709 seconds, with the fastest laps in Heat 3 and 4.
Results at a glance…
Heat 1: started 10th, finished 2nd
Heat 2: started 5th, finished 4th
Heat 3: started 3rd, finished 1st
Final: started 1st, finished 1st
Many thanks to TNRacing Engines for the excellent mechanical work.
Thanks to BTZD Teamwear for the awesome custom suit, gloves, boots and team wear.
Also, a big shout out to Versatile Design - Racing Imagefor the awesome kart livery.
As always, we appreciate all of Gabriel’s followers for their ongoing support and encouragement ❤️
Capri Cup
November 2023
Gabriel competed in the Capri Cup at IPSWICH KART CLUB last weekend. This is one of Gabriel’s favourite events for the year because it honours the contributions of Alf and Maureen Capri to the Australian karting community. In addition, the track is run in ‘reverse K’ configuration for the Capri Cup, which provides something a little different for the drivers.
The weekend was chaotic to say the least. Before Gabriel even got to the track, we had issues with our tow vehicle. So, it was an emergency stop at Ultratune Beenleigh. Josh and his crew got us back on the road in no time and Gabs got to the track for practice. You guys are amazing! Thank you!!!
Unfortunately, the rest of the weekend was just as chaotic. Gabriel did manage to get 3rd in the second heat which helped him to start towards the front for the final. However, contact on the first lap of the Final put him all the way back down to dead last. Although Gabs tried his hardest to work his way up, damage to the kart hampered progress.
The upside is that he finished the race, which should have accrued him enough points to stay on the podium for the IKC Championship.
Many thanks to all of our supporters, @followers and sponsors, including: